Speakout 3/1

SpeakOut, I think it's a disgrace to the teachers at Scott County Central to bring in retired teachers to coach the basketball team and to get our children to do well on the MAP test. If our teachers are that bad, maybe we need to look for better teachers or get the retired teachers to stay and teach for free - a great idea in tough budget times.

I was at our local Wal-Mart on Feb. 20. As I was looking over the left-over Valentine's Day merchandise, one of the employees asked me if I would like to purchase anything. When I asked, "Why?" she said "It's all going to the dumpster." I was shocked and appalled at all the lavish stuffed animals that were being thrown away, when I know several families that were not even able to afford nice valentine's gifts for their children. Why not donate all these items and other holiday items to charity instead of letting them go to a landfill?

You can call the Sikeston Wal-Mart Supercenter at 472-3020 and ask to speak to a manager. As a matter of policy, Wal-Mart invites customers to make suggestions such as yours to management.

We understand the management of the City of Sikeston has announced that the grand old First Baptist Church building will be demolished in the near future. Just a reminder that this is one of the very few landmarks left in Sikeston. City management has torn down all the other landmarks such as the old high school buildings and the two buildings on the east end of the school. Other cities restore their landmarks. Sikeston destroys everything! Our heritage is lost by removing the old structures. It is more economical to restore and enjoy than to tear down and rebuild. Many years ago, that old church building was designated a shelter for times of emergency, such as tornadoes, etc. It is still a good, sturdy structure which was built to stand forever. For this building to be demolished will be a disgrace. Many city residents are dismayed and disgusted that such a monument has been allowed to deteriorate and now will be destroyed. Even Cairo, Ill., and Charleston do better than that. Look around. Take note of how the city of Dexter is thriving! Look at their old restored buildings. It is understandable that it would be very costly to make this building useful now. But the bones are there. Instead of demolishing it, why not just deed it to some caring person or persons to refurbish and allow future generations to see how our forefathers built beautiful structures to last forever? Please reconsider your plans for demolishing this old church building.

Believe me, the city has attempted to find an interested party to take over the building. But you must understand, the cost to refurbish that structure would far, far outweigh its potential value.

I know you show all these numbers in here that the Rescue Mission has helped, but how many people did you turn away? And there are tons of clothes in there that you could have let people have who needed them, instead of loading up those trucks and ship the good stuff out in.